Thursday, September 15, 2011

.....TODAY, AS I WAS DRIVING ALONG, I saw a traffic sign that read, WATCH CHILDREN.So I dutifully went to spend some time watching my Little Actor. As I pulled up in front of his house, I spotted something in the rear view mirror of my car which immediately set the agenda for our afternoon together.

Did you catch that view, Viewer Dear? It was a backhoe! A backhoe-backhoe-backhoe! Now you, Dear Reader, may be no more excited by a backhoe than by a banana box; but the Little Actor----ah, it's as if the circus has come to town when he spots one of these! A crane or a dump-truck will quicken his pulse, as well!So I met him at the door of his house, and we hustled down the sidewalk to watch the show: The backhoe in action! A dump-truck standing at the ready! Several guys in hardhats thrown into the mix! (Well, they weren't actually in that gravel mixture on the back of the dump-truck, but they were down in holes, and scooping with shovels, and one of them---one of them was operating the backhoe!

Our hero: The Backhoe Guy!

While the Backhoe Guy was idling in his large yellow piece of equipment between bursts of action, we walked over to have a word with him. I offered him an explanation of the Little Actor's googly-eyed fascination with all pieces of large equipment. Then I asked the Little Actor if he could name the one he was looking at. Slightly intimidated, the Little Actor remained mum, although he knew as well as I did that he can say "Backhoe-backhoe-backhoe-go-see-backhoe" at the drop of an extended scoop-shovel!

So then the Backhoe Guy joined in the questioning."What is this?" he asked."What is it?....Is it a camel?"

I'm afraid, Reader Dear, all four of our eyes opened wide--the Little Actor's and mine.

A CAMEL? Did you say, a CAMEL?! You mean...like...the one weJUST RODE ATOP THE OTHER DAY?! (How funny you should ask! We both know camels, Backhoe Guy, and this ain't no camel!*)

No, it wasn't a camel. But it was a pretty exciting close second for the Little Actor!(Especially when B-Guy invited him aboard! [Though why on earth wasn't G'mama climbing up there with him to sit in that stranger's lap?! He couldn't quite get up the nerve to do it alone).

As for me, it was time well spent. I was happy to "Watch Child."

(And, although I saw no sign exhorting: "Watch Backhoe," I had a pretty good time doing that, as well).